6 reasons the NBA Playoffs are better than March Madness
I know that it’s cool to say that you like NCAA Basketball over the NBA. You are entitled to your opinion, but if this is your opinion, you are wrong. Sorry.
You might be able to convince me that the NCAA regular season is better than the NBA regular season, but when it come to the NBA Playoffs vs. March Madness there is no contest. None.
The NBA Playoffs are better than March Madness.
Here’s why:
The NBA is more authentic. The purity of NCAA basketball has been tainted with embarrassing recruiting violations and stripped championships. We can no longer pretend that passion and love of the game drives NCAA basketball. Money drives it.
Money drives the NBA, too. Why do you think Melo went to the Knicks? A five-year, $124 million guaranteed contract, that’s why. In the NBA we know how much players are paid, we often even know about their endorsement deals. We know who is getting paid how much, let’s play ball.
NBA playoffs value teams more. In the NCAA, a one-in-done player (or several of them) can win a championship. In the NBA, teams are built over years. There is no longer an equivalent of the San Antonio Spurs in the NCAA. A team that succeeds in the NCAA tournament likely has NBA talent who will leave in short order. Even Butler, arguably the most successful Cinderella of March Madness of all time, had Gordon Heyward. He was around for two years and then gone. We didn’t get to watch Gordon grow as a player into his junior and senior years. But in the NBA, we get to see that growth and legacy of teams and players as they gel. Each year the NCAA tournament is becoming more of a yearlong pick-up-game between future NBA players. Tune in next year when completely different rosters will play each other!
A series is better than a single game. I’m not going to take a real hard-line on this one. There is magic in March Madness when all an underdog has to win is one game. But I love watching an NBA series, following the narrative, seeing how the players and coaches adjust and bounce back. Golden State coming back from a 3-1 deficit was amazing.
The talent in the NBA is far superior. I mean this is obvious, right? Just a few years ago though that superior talent in the NBA led to extremely boring games. The days of isolation, one-on-one driven offenses are gone. Watch the Cavs play. Watch the Warriors play. The ball moves. It used to be rare to have a big man who was skilled at passing. Remember when Arvydas Sabonis awed us with his European passing skills? Now many centers and power forwards are expected to pass like him.
So now the NBA has the world’s best players playing an engaging style of basketball. That’s hard to beat.
I’ve never seen anyone hit shots like Steph Curry hits shots. When he starts his shot often he’s not even looking at the basket. His range is unlimited. And he shoots quick enough to get a shot off over any 7-footer. NCAA Steph Curry playing for Davidson was amazing, but nowhere as unimaginably awe-inspiring as NBA Steph Curry.
And LeBron…if Michael Jordan were two inches taller and 40-pounds stronger, he would’ve been like LeBron. That’s a bit of hyperbole. I think Jordan had more of a killer instinct, but I’m not sure he was as efficient as James. (Although LeBron is getting one.) There is no one in the league currently and, not many in history, who can dominate offensively and defensively like King James.
Watching these two square-off in the Finals…what a time to be alive!
In the NBA titans clash. There are two main dynasties right now in the NBA.
The Warriors are the returning champs, and they set the single-season record for most wins. If they win, they’ll solidify their dynasty status.
The other dynasty is LeBron James. This NBA Finals will be his 6th in a row.
These two dynasties will play a best of 7 again. Last year, James almost single-handedly beat the Warriors before running out of energy and role players. Everyone added an asterisk next to their championship last year: *BUT it was basically LeBron on his own since Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were out injured. This pissed off the Warriors and likely was the main fuel behind their record-breaking season. But only one thing will wipe away the asterisk–beating a healthy Cavs team in the NBA Finals.
Man, that is some good stuff. Far better than two teams having less than a week to prep for one another. The Cavs and the Warriors have been prepping for their 2016 NBA Finals matchup for more than a year.
The storylines and rivalries in the NBA are deeper than the present day version of NCAA basketball.
The NBA Playoffs last longer and are on after my kids are in bed. The playoffs become a part of my summer routine. Feed kids. Put kids to bed. Watch 20 minutes of a show my wife wants to watch, and then after she falls asleep…NBA time!
I am a wee bit pumped for the NBA Finals. I’ll be pulling for the Cavs. I’m oringinally from Ohio and love that LeBron came back to be an active part of his hometown.
I love the game of basketball and the NBA Playoffs just happens to be a higher-level of that game of basketball–it’s more authentic and more entertaining.
Let your voice be heard!